Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday

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Updated at 2:30 PM EST on Friday, Nov 1, 2013

The Halloween treats came a day late for plenty of die-hard Apple fans when the new iPad Air hit stores Friday.

The new iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, went on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November.

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At Apple's flagship store in New York City on Fifth Avenue, soggy weather couldn't keep aspiring owners from the new gadjet.

"I got here around eight and around 8:15 it started raining, but by the time it started raining I was halfway through the line, so I waited another 15, 20 minutes, got in there and everything was pretty easy,” Queens resident Joshua Wahhab said.

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Apple is expecting strong sales of both models — so much so that CEO Tim Cook told analysts during the company's most recent earnings conference call that "this is going to be an iPad Christmas" as he predicted year-over-year growth.

The new 9.7-inch iPad Air, which weighs just one pound and is 20 percent thinner than the previous model, was presented as "the lightest full size tablet in the world." It is up to eight times faster than the older generation and boasts 10 hours of battery life, Apple said.

“This one is way thinner," Wahhab said. "I have a Mac. I have an iPhone. It just works well together. I like iOS more than I like Android in general, so I figured I’d get the iPad. And it’s sexy.”